Former ASU student and blood-cancer survivor Alyssa Petroff held a white balloon to signify her battle with cancer as she walked Saturday in the Light the Night Walk held by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
She was one of several thousand people to participate in the two-mile walk from Tempe Beach Park to Priest Drive and Rio Salado Parkway.
Petroff started at ASU in the fall of 2006 but was forced to drop out after six weeks when she found out she had blood cancer, putting her dream of studying construction on hold.
Next month, she will celebrate two-and-a-half years as a survivor.
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During the walk, participants held different colored balloons to represent different meanings, she said. Red balloons were supporters, white balloons were survivors and gold balloons were in memory of someone who had lost a battle with blood cancer.
“I think [the walk] is great,” Petroff said. “It’s great to see all of the white balloons.”
During her battle with blood cancer, Petroff said the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society helped her financially, buying food and making sure she had rides to doctors’ appointments.
The society also promotes a support program that pairs people suffering from blood cancer with peers who survived the disease, she said.
There are currently an estimated 912,938 people suffering from blood cancer in the U.S., leading to a death every 10 minutes, according to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Ingaborg Brokas, of Phoenix, a supporter at the walk, said the process of dealing with any type of cancer is painful for everyone involved.
“People suffering from cancer need a support system,” she said.
Brokas works with Arizona Camp Sunrise and Sunrise Sidekicks, two camps that welcome people battling cancer and their children and siblings, she said.
“Cancer doesn’t just impact the person, but the whole family,” she said, calling the programs important because there are no others like them in Arizona.
Julie Reed, senior campaign director with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, said organizers were expecting around 2,000 people at the walk and to raise more than $17,000 in support of blood cancer. Final numbers were not available.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society uses the money raised to find cures and help those people who are suffering from leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, Reed said.
“The walk is a great way to raise awareness about those people who are fighting,” she said.
Despite efforts in the community, there are still too many people dying every day from blood cancer, Reed said.
“There’s a lot of work to be done on finding a cure,” she said.
Victor Carrasco, the patient services manager with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, said he has the job of working directly with people who are suffering from blood cancer.
During the walk, families and friends have the opportunity to unite and rally around the people suffering from blood cancer, he said.
“It is imperative that we find a cure,” Carrasco said.
These walks are part of what allow the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to work on helping to find the cure, he said.
“This is definitely a worthwhile cause,” Carrasco said. “It’s an opportunity to make a difference.”
Reach the reporter at paige.soucie@asu.edu.
